Escenas del Sombrerón

This piece was commissioned by Mexican guitarist Pablo Gómez. The work takes inspiration
from Guatemalan legend "El Sombrerón." In this popular legend, el Sombrerón is a short
man (maybe a kind of leprechaun) that wears a big sombrero and appears at night, usually carring
a guitar with him and riding a horse. He has a weakness for young women and enchant them with songs and serenades. A sign that a woman has been bewitched by el Sombrerón is that in the morning, she wakes up with very tight, small knots in all her hair. In this piece, I also relate this legend to the popular song "Luna de Xelajú" and to José Martí's poem, "La Niña de Guatemala." Thus, in the

first scene "Solitaria Noche" el Sombrerón is alone, looking for a lady to enchant. The second scene "Serenata," depics el Sombrerón interpreting a version of "Luna de Xelajú" to a possible conquest. In the last scene, "La Niña de Guatemala,"a lady has fell deeply in love with the music and with the man, to the point that she dies of love, however, el sombrerón is nowhere to be found.